A Nature's Essence
by Roselna
Summary: Shimmer has the power of speaking to nature. The few that know have thought it was just an extraordinary gift, a power never seen. It's not until things start to happen that legends are consulted and secrets are discovered. Sequel to Majestic and Shimmer.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was up and shining in the late morning of the Jellicle Junkyard. Cats were lazing about in the summer heat, feeling rather sluggish. A few were down at the lake, letting the soft mist that the wind was stirring up brush over them gently. The younger cats were playing, having fun with their friends. A gold princess dashed out of the pipe in the main clearing of the yard, closely followed by a tanish-brown and bronze tom. "Shimmer! Wait up!" he called.

The gold princess giggled her melodic giggle. "You have to catch me!" she told him. Despite the fact that the tom was nearly a head taller than her (He had shot upwards in height), she fearlessly darted towards him, daring him to try and get her.

"Shimmer!" he exclaimed. He lunged at her, but missed by a few mere inches and fell flat on his face.

Shimmer giggled again. "I thought Jellicle Cats are supposed to land on their feet when they fall on their head," she said teasingly.

"That was my face, not my head, number one," the tom said, picking himself up. "And number two is that you're dead meat!" He lunged at her again.

The gold princess squealed. "Tristy!" she squeaked, jumping out of the way and dashing a little away. The tom tried to grab her again, and came closer to succeeding this time. Shimmer only barely jumped out of the way. "But I have to tell Magic! She'll worry, Tristy!"

What she was calling him finally clicked in his brain. "Don't call me that!" he cried, grabbing the princess and throwing her over his shoulder. Shimmer let out a cry of laughter.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! You're Tristam! Now let me go tell Magic I'm gonna hang out with you today!" she yelled. Tristam sighed and complied with her wishes. He couldn't stay mad at her for much longer than a few minutes, nor could he ignore something she asked of him. The tom gently put her down on the ground. "Thank you," she said sweetly, smiling up at him. "I'll be right back!" Shimmer started to walk away, still watching Tristam over her shoulder. She knew that sometimes he would come up from behind her and grab her again, and start to tickle her. Not watching where she was going, Shimmer ran smack into another solid surface. She snapped her head around and looked up. "Oh! Sorry, Puck!"

The other tom gave her a smile. "Perfectly alright, Shimmer," he said, taking her paw and stroking it gently. A few feet away, Tristam's face darkened at the affectionate gesture.

The gold princess smiled at the tom. She was still perfectly innocent, not a suspicion in the world. "Okay!" she chirped happily. "I'm just going to tell my sister that I'm going to hang out with Tristy- Oops! I mean, Tristam!" Shimmer clapped a paw over her mouth, then looked over at the brown and bronze tom. Her eyes were big and sorrowful. "I'm sorry!" she said.

Tristam shook his head. "It's fine," he muttered. Shimmer gave him a doubtful look, then turned back to Puck.

A glare was written over the tom's face. He obviously wasn't fond of the fact that Tristam had this special nickname. As the gold princess looked back to him, however, he quickly masked it over with a smirking smile.

"I-I'll see you later, Puck," Shimmer said, trying to duck around the tom. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, though.

"You know, Shimmer," he said. "You don't have to tell Majestic what you're doing every waking moment of the day. She's a little over-protective, in my opinion. So over-protective, that she won't even let you out of the junkyard without her or one of her trusted friends."

"That's 'cause the only time I left the junkyard my age, and that was _you,_ I nearly got killed off by a Peke! I think that's a perfectly good reason to keep me in the 'yard." Shimmer stated. Her voice was calm, but her big aquamarine eyes quickly glistened, threatening to form tears.

"But we were kits, Shimmer. You're older, and I can protect you now. I'm not scared of a stupid Peke. Besides, nothing bad happened, right?"

"Actually, I _nearly_ got killed, _again,_ and Majestic pretty much drained all her energy saving me, and we were both out for a while. A few weeks, actually. Plus, I'm still a kit," Shimmer muttered, tears now threatening to fall.

Puck then picked up with his scorning of Shimmer's older sister. "And yet, despite that protectiveness, she managed to let you get captured by the Hidden Paw."

"She gave up her powers to try and save me! Magic's the best sister in the world!" Shimmer said fiercely, tears quicly streaking her golden fur that lined her face. She turned and ran towards Tristam, who wrapped his arms around her comfortingly and let the princess cry into his shoulder. He whispered comforting words into her ear as he gently turned around and started leading her towards his aunt's den.

Puck's face twisted with hate for Tristam, whom Shimmer trusted completely. Heck, she might have even loved him. Why couldn't he be the one comforting her? In last desperation, he yelled, "And you really shouldn't be hanging around with a _hench-cat!"_

At the yell, Tristam froze. He turned around again, eyes ablaze. His history was a touchy subject. He gently placed Shimmer an arm's length away, then took a few steps towards Puck.

"That's right! You heard me! You're a filthy, good-for-nothing, hench-cat! A servant of the evilest thing that has ever walked the planet!" Puck continued, even with each menacing step that Tristam took towards him. The tom quickly realized that his desprate idea had been a very, very _bad _one.

"Am I really?" Tristam growled. Puck didn't answer, though, because the brown and bronze tom hurled at him, knocking him onto the ground. The fight broke. Blood was drawn. Shimmer screamed.

* * *

In her den, Majestic's purple eyes gazed intensely at a small bottle of a clear, blue-tinged liquid as she carefully made to pour it into an already half-way filled vial, when her purple-tipped ears twitched.

"Careful," Mistoffelees said, watching her every move.

He spoke too soon, however, for before the word could completely roll off his tounge, Majestic's head snapped up, breaking her concentration. Her paw jerked, and the strange liquid was sloshed all over her den. "Shimmer," she breathed, before practically throwing the bottle down as she dashed out of the den, Mistoffelees following quickly behind her.

They ran quickly towards the sound of the scream, and were soon facing a battle of two toms, with Shimmer standing in the sidelines, eyes wide with horror. Magic threw herself in between the two, grabbing Puck and dragging him away from Tristam. Misto moved to do the same to Tristam, but the tom wiped some of the blood from his lip and withdrew. "Help me!" Majestic squeaked, trying to keep a hold on Puck, who continued to strain against her and try to attack Tristam again. In the moment after she cried out, two silver blurs appeared in front of Majestic. Coricopat bent down and looked into Puck's eyes, expression hard. After a few moments he drew back, and the tom stopped struggling against the black and purple queen, and slumped down.

Coricopat stared at him, expressionless. "Confusion spell," he finally muttered, before he and his sister moved away in their flawless sync.

Mistoffelees looked to Puck, murmured something, and held his paws over the tom. A few seconds later, Puck was floating next to the tuxedoed tom. "I'm taking him to Jenny," Misto said quietly.

Majestic nodded. Then she rounded to Shimmer, who had dashed towards Tristam. "Are you alright?" she asked urgently, swooping down and picking up her younger sister.

Shimmer nuzzled Majestic. "I'm fine. A little shaken, but fine. Tristam moved me to a safe distance." Shimmer looked fondly at the tom. "And I'm going to clean his cuts," she added firmly, wiggling out of Magic's grasp and landing lightly on the ground. She crept towards Tristam again, who flinched away, not wanting anyone to touch the wounds.

Majestic's eyes glinted in something of a smile in them. She saw how her sister treated Tristam. And how he treated her as if the most precious thing in the world. "I'm going to go tell Munkustrap," she said quietly. Her violet eyes moved to Tristam, who's face was one of mild fear. "He should know," she said, equally as quietly, though her eyes flashed with something that said she was sorry for anything that was about to happen. And with that she turned and moved towards the entrance of the junkyard in search of their protector, leaving Shimmer and Tristam.

Tristam watched as the black and purple queen walked away, worry starting to build in his mind. He was drawn away from it however, when a voice broke into his head.

"Sit," Shimmer said, pointing at the ground.

"I'm fine, Thimmer," Tristam said through a busted lip. Shimmer gave him a pointed look, and he unwillingly sat, still unable to disobey her wishes. The princess sank down next to him and started to clean his wounds. The brown and bronze tom flinched as her gentle tounge ran over the scratches and cuts.

"I want to be a healer," she said conversationally.

"Weally?" the tom said. Shimmer giggled at his newly acquired lisp. They sat in silence for a while as Shimmer continued to clean Tristam's numerous cuts and scrapes. After a while she leaned back and gazed at him for a moment, then jumped up.

"I need you to say right here for a few moments while I go get a few things to help your cuts. Please?" she added, pleading with her big aquamarine eyes. Tristam, though he had fully intended to stay put anyway, practically melted. He nodded. Shimmer gave him a smile, then snapped her head upwards. She opened her mouth, and spoke, but in the tongue of the wind. There was a small gust a few moments afterward, and the gold princess flashed her smile again, before darting off.

Tristam sat in content silence, looking around at his surroundings. Before long, he heard a gently whirling of wind, and looked up to see a small cyclone descending, swirling green herbs with it. It slowly came all the way down to where it stood next to him for a few moments, before the winds gently died down, leaving a small, neat pile of herbs next to him. Tristam stared in amazement, and soon heard the sound again, and looked up once more, only to see that the cyclone this time was even smaller, and made of water. Instead of gently settling on the ground, though, it continued to dart though the sky. After a second of thought, the tom realized that if it _did _settle, the water would stream off. And then Shimmer wouldn't have what she needed. As he thought about the little gold princess, she leapt back into the clearing, carrying with her several items. She was a gold flash as she darted around, setting everything but a bowl next to Tristam, then jumping back up and speaking the wind's language again, her voice gently coaxing the water into the wooden bowl. The cyclone slowly moved down and the water settled down into the bowl.

Shimmer gave a small smile. Then she gracefully moved back towards Tristam, not spilling a drop of the water. She gently placed the bowl down, then picked up a second one she had brought. The gold princess scooped the herbs into it, then ever-so carefully mashed them until they no longer looked like thin leaves. She poured a little bit of the water into the herbs, then swirled it with her fingers. The contents soon became a green paste, and Shimmer looked up at the tom next to her. "Don't move. It'll sting a little. But no more than it did when I cleaned them," she said, her voice as clear as crystal, tinkling like little bells at the same time. Tristam nodded, and sat stock still as Shimmer first poured a small bit of water, then smeared the green goo onto one of the gashes on his arm. Then she wrapped it with a strip of linen cloth nice and tightly, making it a bandage. She did this to every cut or scrape on him, excluding his busted lip.

"Thank you," Tristam said, able to talk normally now that his lip was of normal size. He gingerly got up. Shimmer rose with hit, ready to support him if he needed it.

"You're welcome," Shimmer said quietly. She watched as he slowly started to walk, headed in the direction of his aunt's, Jennyanydots, den, where he stayed. He and Shimmer had been planning to hunt for his own den before the fight had started. Shimmer watched him for a few moments longer, but then unexpectedly said, "I'd do anything to help you feel better."

Tristam turned slowly, then limped his way back to the gold princess. "You would have done that to anyone who was hurt. Wether it be me or Macavity, you would have insisted on fixing us up," he said, not meeting her eyes, but a small smile on his face. "That's what I love about you," he said quietly.

Shimmer's aquamarine eyes widened. She looked up at his face, then wrapped her arms around him. She closed her eyes and nuzzled into his chest. Tristam let out a sigh, then pulled out of the hug. He took a step back, then, with a moment's hesitation, gave Shimmer the smallest, quickest kiss on her dainty lips. Then he turned and limped away, headed back to his aunt's house. He left Shimmer staring after him, one paw almost touching her lips. "Did that really just happen?" she breathed to herself. She quickly dashed over the tire and climbed the fence close behind it, jumping down and letting out her joy. The nature around her thrived in that moment, becoming greener and healthier. The gold princess fell backwards into the soft grass, content with lying there and not thinking, staring off into space. The nature spirits around her buzzed with excitement, happily chittering away. Shimmer let out a sigh, and really felt what she felt towards the brown and bronze tom.

It turns out Puck was right.

She loved him.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hello, again, readers! I'm sure you're glad to see this! I only have one thing to say: The Title is subject to change.


	2. Chapter 2

Majestic quietly walked through the junkyard, halfway following her nose that was nearly touching the ground and halfway following the path to where she almost knew her little sister would be. She had just left medical den, where Munkustrap was standing irritated because he couldn't find the reason for the fight between Tristam and Puck without it turning into a shouting match between the two. She ended up having to put a tongue tying spell on them, for the sake of her older brother's own sanity. She approached an ever-so small clearing in the woods bordering the junkyard, finding Shimmer lying in the grass. The wind blew gently, and the plants seemed to whisper. Majestic crouched low, then jumped and landed nearly on top of her younger sister, who squeaked and practically shot out of the grass. "Hello," she said cheerfully.

"Magic!" Shimmer gasped. Then she stomped her paw. "Don't do that!" she cried, appearing younger than a cat that was going to be a queen in just a moon.

The black and violet queen smiled. But then her expression turned serious. "We need to hear what happened today. Munku's been trying to get it out of Tristam and Puck, but all that he's got so far is a violent headache. Do you mind?"

Shimmer shook her head. "No, I can tell him." She dropped down onto four paws with her sister, and they quickly walked back the medical den. When they entered, Munkustrap was standing between the two young toms, rubbing his temples and visibly annoyed. The silver tabby looked over when his half-sister and her little sister* entered, and upon seeing Shimmer, his facial expression appeared just a tad bit more relaxed.

"Shimmer, please, I know only as much that you were there. Do you mind telling me what happened, because these two-" he shot looks to both Tristam and Puck, "-can't say a word without it turning into a shouting match."

Shimmer nodded and took a breath, then started the story. She told how she was going to help Tristam find a den, and then how she accidentally ran into Puck. When she started to repeat things that Puck had said, Magic's expression turned stoney, and her gaze slid to the younger tom in the form of a glare. Shimmer continued to talk, how Tristam had kept her safely to a distance and then pounced, when an odd sound could be heard. All five of their heads snapped towards the entrance of the medical den, where the sound seemed to get louder. To Magic, Munku, Puck, and Tristam, it sounded like an extremely high pitched whirling sound. But Shimmer's head was cocked to the side. Instead of whirling, she heard a high pitched laughter. "What in the world-" she started. But at that moment, a strong blast threw the door of the medical den open. The high pitched noise got louder, as an invisible force zoomed around the room, knocking things over, upsetting cots, unrolling bandages. "Go away!" Shimmer shouted, her voice sounding normal. "Wind, go away!" she shouted again. The last word had a raspy sound to it. The whirling continued, destroying everything in sight. "I SEND YOU AWAY!" she shouted. Her voice had changed, into a raspy, whirling sound that the other four in the den could not decipher into words. The wind gave another shrill, high pitched noise, but quickly zoomed out of the room.

"What...was...that?" Puck asked, slowly coming out from under one of the cots that hadn't been turned over. Majestic was pressed into a corner, her eyes wide and alert. Tristam couldn't be seen. He was trapped beneath a barricade of cots that had piled up over him. Munkustrap stood in the center of the den, fur wild from the wind sweeping over him repetitively, his teeth bared. "And what language were you speaking?" Puck asked Shimmer.

The gold princess stood near the door, eyes wide and fearful, breathing heavily. "I have no idea. The wind has never acted like that," she said, leaving Puck's second question unanswered. She looked around the room. Munkustrap was helping Tristam out of the cot prison, and Majestic had started to put away the things that had been thrown around. "Is everyone alright?" Shimmer asked. She got nods from them all. Then she bent down and started helping her sister clean up, when suddenly someone dashed through the still-open door.

"Did you guys hear that?" Mistofelees said, before taking the moment to look around. "Ya know what, never mind that question," he said. "What was it? I've never heard anything like that." The tuxedoed tom crossed the room and helped Munkustrap return the cots to their original state.

"According to Shimmer, it was the wind," Magic said. The gold princess nodded absentmindedly, rolling bandages back up.

Mistoffelees cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing else. It took them a while to clean up everything, even with Jennyanydots coming in a helping them. She was extremely annoyed, and sat and listened as Shimmer quickly retold what had happened that morning. The Gumbie Cat turned to Tristam with a disapproving look. Munkustrap did the same, only he focused on Puck as well. "Tristam," Jenny said. "Please come home with me. Now." And with that, she turned and walked to the door that adjoined her den with the medical den. The bronze and brown tom groaned, then dragged himself threw the door as well.

Munkustrap turned on Puck. "Come on," he said. "I need to talk to your mother." Puck seemed to shrink as he followed the Jellicle Protector to his home. As they left, Majestic turned to Shimmer.

"What _did _you shout that last time?" she asked.

The gold princess continually straightened the bottles of odds and ends to apply to all sorts of wounds. Not looking towards her sister or Mistoffelees, she said, "'I send you away'. I have no idea what made me say that. I never yell at the wind. It's normally so gentle," she said. She fingered one of the many rolls of bandages. She looked at Mistoffelees. "Have you ever seen anything like that?" she asked.

Misto chewed on the inside of his cheek. "_I _haven't. But I know someone who might," he said, looking over at Majestic. The black and violet queen's face was confused. The tuxedoed tom made a gesture that read. 'Come on. Ya know?' After a few moments of thought, the lightbulb went off in Majestic's head.

"Oooh," she said. "I know now." Then she smiled.

"Who?" Shimmer asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

* * *

"We've only heard of something like this in very, very old stories of the Jellicles," Tantomile said, setting a very big, very dusty book on a table with a loud _thump._ Dust flew up into the air, and Mistoffelees let out a very high-pitched sneeze. Majestic and Shimmer both giggled, and Misto's cheeks burned bright red.

"Stories from generations before Old Deuteronomy," Coricopat said, dropping another book that was just as big and dusty on top of the other one. Mistoffelees sneezed again, just as high-pitched as before, causing the sisters to giggle again. His cheeks turned another shade of red.

"And stories," _Thump._

_"A-choo!"_

"That most normally have tragic endings," Tantomile finished, eyeing Mistoffelees, who blushed yet another shade of red. She gave herself a small shake, then turned to the sisters. "But the one story that mentions something of the sort, it's only at the very beginning. Things much more disastrous happen, such as flash floods, then droughts, vines and weeds completely taking over where the Jellicles where housed at that point...and that's just the beginning."

"Do you know any stories where there's a cat that can talk to nature?" Shimmer asked, peering at the books with extreme interest.

"Well," Coricopat said, opening the one that was on top. "There's this little one. 'Cat the color of nature's wealth, with the heart as pure as gold. In the tongue of nature doth speaks thou. Tis not harsh, nor demanding, but when comes the time, makes the decision that doth rid of the Maddening Spirits." Coricopat looked up. "Not a lot to work with. But these were passed down from the ancestors that lived in Shakespearian times by tongue. Then someone wrote them down with the original words."

"What are the 'maddening spirits'?" Majestic asked, peering over the tom's shoulder to look at the text.

"Spirits that were said to be able to possess things to do their will. The spirits themselves can only hate, but must have some form to do anything. They were said to be extremely powerful, and once ruled over the Jellicles. But then the Everlasting Cat took pity on them, and sent some special cat to lock the spirits up. There is little referring to the said cat, except that it was magical in some way. Prophecies show up a few generations later saying that the Maddening Spirits will return to take their seat of power again. But prophecies from a few generations after _that_ say that the savior cat will return and forever abolish the spirits," Tantomile said.

All of the sudden, there was a loud clang from a hidden room. Both the twins snapped up and looked backwards, and in unison said, "That can't be good. We'll see you again later." And with that there was a flash of silver and they both disappeared, along with the books, and the den ended up seeming much darker.

The three left in the den glanced at each other, then hurried out.

* * *

Later that night, when Majestic and Shimmer were out hunting, the gold princess tried to pounce on a mouse and missed by a few inches when she said, "Magic?"

"Yes?" the black and purple queen asked, starting to chase after the mouse. Shimmer followed after her.

"You don't think those prophecies are gonna come true, do you?" the princess asked, putting her nose on the ground, trying to catch the scent of the mouse.

"Not really. I mean, it's probably a really rare power, being able to talk to nature. And besides, the wind thing could have just been some freak accident. I've seen the human news a couple of times. Stuff like freak wind and water things are happening all over the place. It was only a matter of time before one hit the junkyard," Majestic said, shrugging it off.

Shimmer bit her lower lip, then jumped on a particularly big mouse, then caught it in her mouth, biting and snapping its neck. She spit it out and frowned. "I can't believe we kill for food," she muttered, then bit into her catch and started eating. Magic leapt a long distance, coming down on her own dinner, then trotted back over to her sister and ate with her. Shimmer ate a few more bites, then sighed and batted the rest of her food towards her sister. "I'm not hungry," she mumbled. The gold princess stood up and stretched, then looked at Majestic. "Can I walk back to the 'yard?" she asked.

Magic looked up, her purple eyes reading the signs of worry. She chewed on her lip for a moment, then sighed. "Go ahead. Just, please be careful," the queen said. Shimmer gave her a half smile, then turned and quickly walked out of the alley. The gold princess practically ran back to the junkyard, and when she got there, was out of breath, but happy. She liked walking by herself, though it didn't happen often. Shimmer quietly walked around, wondering what to do. After a while, she decided to watch the sunset. She looked around, then found a pile of junk that she wanted to watch it from. She gathered her hind legs under her, then sprang, and dug her claws into the side of the pile. Shimmer found a grip, then managed to propel herself up the rest of the way. The gold princess watched as the sun turned orange, then scarlet as it set on the horizon. Her thoughts didn't stray from what the mystic twins had been telling them this afternoon. She wondered what it all meant.

* * *

**A/N:**

I know, I know. Not the longest. Hey, does anyone else wonder where the humans are when everything gets destroyed on Tom and Jerry?


	3. Chapter 3

Shimmer suddenly found herself leaning on some invisible force, her paws up as if she was doing something to create it, like her sister would to create a force field. The princess became aware how everything glowed, and the fact that beyond her paws, there was a raging of fire, wind, and water. She also noticed that her mouth was moving, but no words came out. Finally, she put her arms down and stepped back. She looked at the rage, then took a breath. She knew what she had to do. "No! Don't do it, Shimmer!" The princess looked to her left, and saw Majestic there, straining on the invisible wall. Her sister's voice was muffled, as were all the other sounds happening. Looking up, she then realized that Mistoffelees, Tantomile, Coricopat, and surprisingly, Macavity, were positioned at intervals, all straining against the same force. All were almost out of steam, all straining to remain upright.

"I have to," she said, turning and staring straightforward. Her own voice was muffled, and sounded odd. "There's no other way! You all will die if I don't!"

"Please, Shimmer!" her sister choked out. She was straining to talk, the burden was starting to suck away the rest of her energy.

Shimmer continued to look ahead. "I must. It is my destiny." And then she barreled into the rage, running right through barrier, into a bright light...

* * *

The gold princess was jerked awake by her sister screaming her name. "Shimmer! Wake up! There's a fire!" The princess shot up, only to see Majestic standing in front of her, seeming extremely distraught, and harried. There was no barrier, or rage, no bright white light...

"What fire?" Shimmer asked quickly. "Where?"

"The east side of the junkyard! Hurry! We've got to get it out!"

Shimmer's aquamarine eyes widened. "Is everyone out of the east side?" she asked, dropping to four paws as she and Magic ran outside, only to see the sky lit red by the flames. Sparks were visible, even from their den in the west side.

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"What about Plato and Victoria? Pounce and Tumble? Admetus? Exotica?" Shimmer yelled over the wind that whipped through their headfur.

Majestic's eyes widened. "Oh my Cat, Xoti!" The sisters barreled forward with new speed. When they reached the flames, Majestic skidded to a halt and threw her paws out, conjuring water. Mistoffelees did the same, arriving moments afterward.

"I'm going and getting her!" Shimmer yelled.

Magic's face was one of outrage. "No, Shimmer! You'll get killed!"

"No I won't!" the princess yelled back. She threw her head into the air and yelled out in the language of the water. Moments afterward, there was a whipping string of water, encircling her, quickly thickening into bands, whipping in circles quickly. And before Magic could protest again, the princess dove into the flames. Most of the junkyard was there by now, and when Majestic let out a screech of urgency, Alonzo jumped forward and followed Shimmer, running after her.

"Shimmer!" he yelled. The princess turned around and saw him. Her lips moved, and suddenly he was surrounded by the same thick bands of water, protecting him from the flames. Junk started to fall from its piles. "Move!" he yelled, running towards the princess and shoving her forward. They ran towards Exotica's den, which was surrounded by the flames. Shimmer angrily started yelling in some language, and water slapped at the flames. Alonzo's eyes zoomed over the situation, when he noticed thick logs starting to teeter threateningly. The black and white tom let out a yell, and he jumped into Exotica's den, shoving Shimmer backwards. The junk choose that moment to fall, almost entirely covering the entrance to the den, locking him in and Shimmer out. Lonz whipped around, and saw the chocolate colored queen pressed into a corner, her brown eyes wide with fright. "Come on!" he shouted, grabbing her paw and pulling her towards the entrance. More junk had fallen, and they weaved their way through a new pile of junk, then burst out of it. The flames still went strong, and Shimmer was standing outside, her expression one of anger as she yelled in a foreign tongue, enveloped by water bands that continually whipped out and extinguished some of the flames. "Come on, Shimmer!" Alonzo yelled, grabbing the princess by the waist and yanking her along, running out of the flames and back to where the rest of the junkyard stood. The four older mystics held out their paws and were slowly walking forward as the flames died away from the water. Shimmer wiggled out of Alonzo's grasp and ran and joined them, her lips moving furiously as the water surrounding her whipped out and continually slapped out the flames.

The fire was put out a few minutes later, and all of the junkyard seemed to gasp for breath. Alonzo stood with his mate, Cassandra, as she held her sister, who cried into her shoulder. Munkustrap stood in front of the Jellicles. Mistoffelees and Majestic both seemed exhausted from the amount of magic they had just used. If Tantomile and Coricopat were worn, they showed no signs of it. Shimmer stood more to the side, staring at the burned part of the junkyard, her expression one of fury. She seemed to grumble under her breath, and if one listened closely, they would make out things like, 'Never gonna hurt my family'. Her older sister walked over to her.

"Never...do that...again!" she panted.

"Yes, Magic," Shimmer said, still scowling at the burned east side. "How did it happen?" she hissed after a few moments.

Majestic looked at her sister, her eyebrows raised. She had never, in all her life, seen the gold princess so ticked off. Sure, she got annoyed, but never _mad._ "Freak accident. Plato was out, and he saw a couple of the flames jump up. He yelled, and I guess Exotica didn't hear him."

Shimmer sighed, and her angry expression melted away into that of a tired one that didn't suit a kitten. She heaved herself up, and they both walked towards the other Jellicles that were murmuring amongst themselves. Munkustrap climbed on top of a discarded lawn chair. "Please, return to your dens. If we can get volunteers to house those whose homes were burned..." he went through things you would expect to hear after a fire. "I'm going to get Old Deuteronomy. We'll have a tribe gathering to discuss this tomorrow." Then he got off of the chair, shooing all of the cats off to their respective homes. Exotica went with Alonzo and Cassandra, Pounce and Tumble went with there mom, dad and cousin, Plato and Victoria went with Mistoffelees, and Etcetera and Electra lugged their brother to their den.

Magic and Shimmer heaved themselves back to their den.

"Hey Magic?" the princess said as she settled down on the pillow.

"Yes?" the black and purple queen said, her eyes already half closed.

"Are you sure those prophecies aren't true?"

"It's all a coincidence, Shimmer," Majestic assured her, dropping off to sleep. Shimmer sighed, then closed her eyes and forced her brain to quiet.

* * *

By early the next morning, a good number of the toms were already moving fallen junk to clear out the pathways again. Some of the queens then came through, sweeping away ashes and did as much as they could to make it look like it had before the fire had struck. As it began to resemble the junkyard again, they discovered that the only two dens that were destroyed were Admetus and Plato and Victoria's, so they made to look around, both finding a new home in the south part of the junkyard. By midday, it was as good as a tribe of cats could get it.

The Jellicles started to gather in the main clearing, knowing that Munkustrap was bringing Old Deuteronomy. Many huddled together with their friends, discussing the fire and how it could have happened. Majestic sat silently with her sister, rather grumpy from not getting enough sleep. Shimmer's eyes drooped, and she had dark spots underneath them, clearly stating that she didn't get enough sleep. Mistoffelees soon joined them, flopping down and leaning back on his paws. "Not enough sleep, huh?" he noted, glancing at the moody Magic and exhausted Shimmer. They both nodded, and Shimmer gave a huge yawn. Then she put her head in her paw, eyes drooping a little bit more. After a few moments of silence, they were joined by Tristam.

The tom gingerly sat down, careful not to mess up his bandages. "Insane, nature is, isn't it?" he commented. Misto and Magic nodded, but Shimmer didn't respond. Her aquamarine eyes, which were flat, rather than their usual sparkle, simply glanced over to the tom, the slid away as she gave a small sigh. The four sat in silence, all lost in their own thoughts. After a while, Mistoffelees's nose twitched. He perked up, and said, "Old Deuteronomy?"

"_I believe it is Old Deuteronomy,"_ The twins sang. Munkustrap walked into the clearing, leading his father as the Jellicles greeted him. Shimmer gave a small smile and hummed the rest of the song to herself, swaying back and forth slightly.

"Fellow, Jellicles," Old D said upon reaching the tire. "I hear that we have shocking news, of a fire last night. Not just that, but, just yesterday, there was an incident were the wind completely destroyed the medical den..." he went on, talking about these incidents and not to be alarmed. The talk lasted for about half an hour, before he bid his farewells, and was helped back to Vicarage Wall by Munkustrap. Majestic gave a tired sigh, then rubbed her face with her paws. Tension was still shared between her and her father, mainly because she was now seventeen and still had yet to get a mate. She turned to Misto.

"You have _got _to ask Jem soon," she said.

Mistoffelees's face formed confusion. "What in the world do you mean, ask Jem soon?"

Magic rolled her eyes. "Ask her to be your mate. Duh. The sooner we cross that bridge, the sooner my dad gets off of our cases." Old Deuteronomy was still insisting that she and Mistoffelees become mates. Misto's cheeks burned bright red. When the queen noticed this, she rolled her violet eyes again. "Puh-lease. It's oh-too-obvious that you like her, Misty."

The flush went from bright red to tomato red. "Don't call me that!" he hissed.

From her spot, Shimmer giggled. "I call Tristam Tristy," she muttered. Her eyes were half closed, and she spoke as if she wasn't quite aware of what she was saying.

Majestic gave a fond, tired smile. "Come on, you. Sleep calls."

Shimmer stuck her arms up. "Carry me," she requested.

Magic looked to the sky, then sighed. She got up, then stooped down and picked up her baby sister, who snuggled next to her.

"Thank you," the gold princess murmured, already almost asleep. Mistoffelees watched them, one eyebrow cocked and chuckling quietly to himself.

* * *

A few days later, Tristam walked out of his aunt's den. He shook his head. Jenny had already not wanted him to get his own den, and the recent fire only made her more stubborn. He walked along, moving through the 'yard, looking for possible dens, completely and totally ignoring his aunt. After about and hour of wandering aimlessly, he blew a hard breath through his nostrils. He pulled himself on top of an old washing machine, looking out at the noonday sun as it burned bright. His eyes wandered, until they fell upon Shimmer and Mistoffelees down at the lake, Shimmer appearing to be putting on a show for the Magical Mister Mistoffelees. The princess seemed to be dancing, and the water was swirling around her. Quick white gusts showed that wind was present as well. What caught the young tom's eye, however, was the fact that she now had a new element swirling around in the dance. Small flames where flying around, looking as harmless as a baby bird. Tristam was able to see a little bit before Shimmer stopped her dance, throwing her arms in the air, and the elements disappearing out of the air. Misto applauded her, and then the two walked down towards the lake, obviously going to catch some fish. Tristam's brow furrowed...if Shimmer could control fire...she wouldn't have been the one to start it, would she? _No! Shimmer would never do that! She didn't even get mad a Puck for coming down on Majestic! _he told himself firmly. Thinking about how the fire started, the realization came across his mind that Plato had been out walking, and he was the one to have alerted the Jellicles that it was there...he couldn't have been the one to start it, could he?

* * *

**A/N:**

Sorry for not responding to the reviews in the last chapter. I completely forgot about that. I was too distracted by Tom and Jerry. ;)

Aunt Jenna: Hmmm...yeah, I guess so.

r1y2r3e4s: Thank you.

raptoregg64: Well, how am I supposed to know? I'm just the writer! *Grins*

Olliv Lynn Sulam: Glad to see people excited about updates!

RedRubyStorm: Trust me. Been there, done that. We just got through a spell where we had to restart the router (the thingy that powers the internet) every time we got online. I honestly hate technology sometimes.


	4. Chapter 4

In the week that followed the fire, tensions started easing. The Jellicles all settled on the fact that it had been a freak accident, same as the crazy wind. Shimmer, however accepting that it was accidents, kept coming back to the prophecies Tantomile and Coricopat had told them about. Whenever her brain brought the thought around, the almost-queen began chewing on her lip, aquamarine eyes staring off into space. The intensity of her thinking was one that most Jellicles mistook for the pondering of her third name, and therefore, left her to her thoughts. The gold princess, however, didn't voice her thoughts. At least, not anymore. All the times she brought it up to Majestic, the magic queen brushed it aside.

Shimmer sighed, then trudged off to the forest, the place where she felt...whole, maybe? There wasn't words to describe it. It was if a missing piece of her had been found, where she was at most peace. Flopping into the soft grass of summer, she allowed the voices of nature to penetrate her mind. They were all whispering, going on about the fire...no, about _Fire_, the element. All muttering about how it hadn't realized it was doing it. Shimmer sat up, her mind reeling. Then, in the grasses' language, she said, "What do you mean, didn't realize?"

If the grass had had eyes, they would have sparkled. The green tufts simply _loved _to gossip. _Fire says it didn't mean to, _the grass whispered. _That something came over it...possessed it, Mistress!_

The world seemed to be crashing down on Shimmer. It was like Tantomile and Coricopat said- the Maddening Spirits, who couldn't act on their own...but had to have something to act _through_ something...and if they were as bitter as the stories said...Shimmer shuddered at the thought.

The young flowers mumbled among themselves, as a group of kittens would when they heard something the grownups said that they didn't understand.

Putting on an air of superiority, Shimmer scoffed. "Possessed? Gramen, you should know better. And Robus, darling, you don't listen to old Gramen. Just go along with making food for yourselves, okay? And the rest of you, if you simply must talk, do it when Robus is s-l-e-e-p-i-n-g," Shimmer talked like a

mother, using her Latin names of the elements, and a tongue that all elements understood. Thankfully for her, the flowers, who weren't very old or (shh, don't tell them) very smart, so they didn't understand what the letters their mistress said meant, and ignored them.

_Yes, Mistress..._the clearing of the forest chorused, trees, wind, and all. Shimmer gave them a caring smile, then skipped away, back to the junkyard. She then found herself a deserted little place, tucked away in the northern part of the junkyard.

The gold princess, glancing around just to make sure no one was nearby, held out her palm and summoned Fire. Upon being called, the element sprung up in her paw, then started scurrying up and down her arm, obviously panicked and scared. _Please, Mistress! I didn't mean to! _the fire wailed, coming as close to crying as the flames could. _I don't know what happened! One minute, everything was fine, and I was minding my own business, and then- BAM! It was crazy! Something, like, took control of me-_

"Shhh," Shimmer said, stroking the flames without fear to calm the blubbering element. "It's alright, little Ignis. I believe you." Her voice, though she couldn't tell, was in a raspy, spluttering voice that sounded like the fire.

The fire relaxed. _You do? _It asked, flames moving in a way that could have been a hopeful gaze if the element had had eyes.

"Yes, my little Ignis. I think I know what may be happening. It's not your fault."

The flames relaxed more, then scooted up her arm and rubbed against Shimmer's neck in some sort of nuzzle. _Thank you, Mistress. You are eternally forgiving and kind, _it said, before jumping off of the gold princess and disappearing into the air.

With the fire gone, Shimmer collapsed onto the ground. Her head was spinning. She rubbed her temples, hoping that she could prevent the headache that was forming. Her powers, unfortunately, did not extend to that of preventing pain to a feline. The gold princess groaned, the heaved herself up and trudged to the medical den, hoping she was now old enough by Jenny's standards to receive something for headaches.

* * *

Tristam was sitting on the treatment bench in the medical den, his aunt taking the bandages off his cuts, when Shimmer had shuffled in. She looked incredibly tired, worried, and scared all at the same time. Upon her entering, Tristam sat up a little straighter and smiled. "Hey, Shim," he called, giving a little wave as Jenny unwrapped a bandage on his leg.

Shimmer looked up, and her face brightened considerably as she noticed him. "Hi, Tristy!" she called back, giggling at her nickname for him. The tom made a sour face, which only made Shimmer giggle more.

"Do you need something, dearie?" Jenny asked, her brown eyes not leaving her nephew.

The gold princess considered this. "Actually," she said. "I think I'm fine now. I'll just leave you to it," she said, before turning and backing away. A new destination wove its way into her mind. "I have to talk to at least Misto first," she murmured to herself. Majestic would have a cow if she knew what Shimmer was considering doing without telling her...yes, it would be best to talk to her sister or her sister's best friend. Shimmer made a sharp nod, confirming it to herself, before she spun on her paws and trotted towards the drainage pipe.

"Misto," she called, "I need a favor of you..."

* * *

Later, three cats stood before the mystical twins again, just as they had a few days ago.

Majestic mumbled grumpily to herself, her annoyance fueled by both being awakened from a nap where she was have a rather enjoyable dream about shooting Tugger with lighting, and the fact that not just her sister, but _Mistoffelees _insisted they come and see the twins.

Mistoffelees stood awkwardly, shifting his weight from paw to paw. Magic's anger was making him nervous. You could never tell what she would do when she got mad...

Shimmer stood patiently, waiting for Tantomile and Coricopat to finish whatever mystical thing they were doing. She needed this...reassurance that what she thought was happening truly wasn't...

It was several more minutes before Coricopat stepped out from behind a dark red tapestry. The silver mystic tom looked beaten down. He was leadened with a sagging tiredness that made him look twice his age.

"I'm sorry," he said, collapsing onto a large pillow. "It's just me right now. Tanto's off even worse than I, the visions sapping her strength...she already had a cold..." Cori appeared to be talking more to himself for a moment than addressing the three felines in his den. But then the tom looked up, his grey eyes seeming as alert as ever.

Shimmer formed her question carefully. "Cori...could you possibly tell me what the visions are about?"

Coricopat's gaze turned on her. He seemed to hesitate before answering. "Well...you know what we talked about last time? The old prophecies?"

Shimmer nodded. Majestic's angry glare seemed to come down a few notches, interrupted by something that looked like nervousness. Mistoffelees simply fiddled with his bow tie.

The mystic tom rubbed his temples, and muttered something that sounded like 'If only painkillers worked on mystics' before continuing. "Well, Tanto and I...we've been plagued with visions of the prophecies coming true. It started after you all left the other day...and after the fire, they only got worse." Coricopat seemed to be in an incredible amount of pain and stress. None of the three cats had any idea visions were so taxing on a cat.

Shimmer bit down on her lip to keep from screaming. So her worst fear had just been confirmed. "What in the name of the Everlasting Cat can we do?" she asked, closing her eyes.

Coricopat looked up and stared at her. "That," he said, "depends upon what you choose to do."

"What do you mean?" Majestic asked, becoming the protective older sister she was.

Coricopat turned his gaze to her. "We think that Shimmer may be the savior cat in the stories," he said.

"But that can't be!" Misto gasped, talking for the first time.

Magic looked fiercely at Cori. "They're myths," she stated, voice flat, but uncertain.

The mystic tom shook his head. "They aren't. They're real, and they're happening again. Right now. And we have to do something about it, unless we want to become nothing but slaves to Spirits that only care for themselves."

Shimmer stepped forward. "Who could possibly know anything more?" she asked. Her question was bold, and unexpected. Coricopat looked at her, surprised. He chewed on the inside of his cheek pondering this.

"Well," he said finally. "There's one cat I know of that could possibly know more about this than I."

When he offered no other information, Mistoffelees stepped forward. "Who?" he asked.

Coricopat didn't look at them as he said it, and his voice was soft. "Tantomile and I's father. Cuimhne."

* * *

Shimmer nervously approached her father. Majestic and Mistoffelees were just around the corner, letting the gold princess talk to Old Deuteronomy in private.

"Father," she said in a shaky voice. If anything scared her at this moment, it was what she was about to ask.

Old Deuteronomy looked down on the princess who would, if Melliny, Majestic's mother, had still been alive and been had been his mate, would be his step-daughter. "Yes, Shimmer?" he said, smiling at the only of that generation's Jellicles who had yet to become an adult.

The gold princess fidgeted. "Well...I...was kinda wondering...you see..." Shimmer struggled to find the words to say it. "I need to go to Ireland," she finally blurted out.

The Jellicle Leader nodded solemnly. "Coricopat told me of this as you traveled. I'm afraid he had to go to sleep afterwards, though. I'm afraid he and his sister are vision-ridden."

Shimmer relaxed slightly. "So...I can go?"

Old Deuteronomy's eyes looked sadly upon his adopted daughter. "I wish I could say no," he sighed. "But this is for the safety of our tribe. I'm afraid I have no choice by to say yes- on one condition."

Shimmer's eyes gleamed. This had been easier than she had ever thought it would be. "And that would be what, Father?" she asked kindly, itching to leap upon the Jellicle Leader and give him a big hug.

"Both your sister and Mistoffelees are to go with you. They can offer the best protection."

Shimmer nodded. "Um...Father...may I?" The old cat smiled, and held his arms out. Shimmer darted forward and gave him a big hug. "I love you, Daddy," she said, burying her face in his soft, thick fur.

"I love you too, Shimmer," he said, patting her head and releasing her. "Now. Go on. Skimbleshanks can take you to Liverpool. From there on, you'll be left to your own devices," the old cat said.

The princess nodded. "Yes, Father. I promise, I'll be back as quickly as I can." Old Deuteronomy nodded, dismissing her. Shimmer hurried away, turning a corner and coming to face Majestic and Mistoffelees.

Looking them in the eyes, Shimmer smiled. "We're going to Ireland," she stated simply.

"Wait," Misto said. "What do you mean, we?"

Shimmer shrugged. "Daddy said the only way I could go is if you two came with me. You guys offer the most protection right now." Majestic groaned.

"That is so _typical _of him!" she moaned. Mistoffelees seemed to share her thoughts.

Shimmer sighed, then shrugged again. "Well, you'll have to deal with it. Skimble leaves tomorrow, on a train that can take us to Bristol. From there, it's up to us," she said. Her face became determined. "We're going to do this. We have to."

* * *

_**(A/N): **Praise the Everlasting Cat! *does victory dance* Good-bye, writer's block! I've finally updated! After six months of writer's handicapped! *dances some more* Do me a favor, and review. Please! I need to know that my reader's haven't died! _


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning, the three were at the train station with Skimbleshanks before the sun had fully risen. The orange tabby was the only feline that was in a chipper mood. Shimmer was tired and glum, not at all herself, for a lack of sleep. She had had a nightmare ridden night, filled with the terror she had experienced when Macavity, thinking she was Demeter's daughter, had kit-napped her. True, once she was there, it wasn't quite as bad, but the travel with him was horrifying.

Majestic was in a bad mood, due to being up half the night with Shimmer's tossing and turning, and her own anger towards her father for trying to set her and Mistoffelees up, once again. This seemed to be a rage that had been building for a while, and this had added even more fuel to the fire. Only a little more, and she was sure to go up in flames. Mistoffelees was not someone she thought of as a love interest! He was her _best friend. _

_Or maybe mooooorrrrre! _the annoying voice in the back of her head whispered in a sing-song manner. Majestic batted at her ear and growled at it inwardly. The little voice cackled, then settled down into the silence that it had taken up recently.

Mistoffelees wasn't tired or mad, but very nervous, and kept a wary eye on Magic. He could practically see the anger seething out of her. His blue eyes flicked from her paws to her face. The queen normally had very good control over her powers. However, when she was in anger, she was most likely to snap. They were in a heavy human population, and if Majestic started shooting lightning, it would do no good. If she lost control, he would have to either preform a spell to make her invisible, something he wasn't mastered in yet, or drain her of her powers. Mistoffelees wasn't comfortable with either option, because if he did the spell, he could mess up and make things worse. Or, if he drained her powers...

The tom gulped thinking about it. Ever since he had taken them on her birthday two years ago, Majestic had kept her claws nice and sharp. If she couldn't damage by magic, she as sure as heck cause some by using physical attributes.

"Alrighty, lassies," Skimble said. He hastily added, "and lad," when Mistoffelees shot a look at him. "The train will be here in a few minutes. When it comes, hop onto the third coach. You'll want to find a place in the luggage rack once you're in there," he said.

The three nodded. "How long is the trip?" Mistoffelees asked.

"Only about two and a half hours. From there, you can take a ferry to Ireland."

Mistoffelees nodded again, and Skimbleshanks left to attend to his normal duties.

"Third car, third car, third car," Shimmer mumbled under her breath. She looked at the tracks, waiting for the train to pull in. She could hear it a little ways down.

"Get ready," Majestic said, taking both Shimmer and Mistoffelees' paws in her own.

"Go!" The train screeched into the station, and had three cats running towards the front of it while it was still slowing down. They jumped onto the third car's landing, and slipped into the door as soon as it opened. They then climbed up to the luggage rack and settled down. Shimmer slipped to the wall, and Mistoffelees and Majestic curled up around her, hoping that their dark pelts would look like a jacket of some kind.

They stayed there for about thirty minutes as the train loaded, flinching each time a bag was put up next to them. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a shrill whistle, and the sound of the wheels of the train starting to grind. Suddenly, they were jerked forward, and the train peeled out of the station. The three Jellicles were then able to relax. Shimmer turned and stared out the window that came up even with her ears when she was lying on the rack. Majestic settled down, her anger seeming to cool down, for the moment. Mistoffelees, curious as he was, turned and watched the passengers. It wasn't long before the steady rocking of the train had lured the two sisters to sleep.

Mistoffelees realized this when he had opened his mouth to make a comment to Majestic, flicking his eyes to her only to find her mouth open, breathing lightly. It was actually pretty cute. When Magic was awake, she was this protective, playful, and temperamental queen. When she slept, however...she looked kitten-like. Small. Peaceful. Certainly not angry. Mistoffelees smiled to himself. When she slept, Majestic looked much more like Shimmer, who, Mistoffelees noted, had her mouth open in the same adorable manner.

The tom chuckled to himself. He then, too, settled down, and decided to take a quick cat-nap. The rhythm of the train was soothing, and the quiet babble of the passengers created a nice little noise that only added to the peaceful mood. Mistoffelees's eyes lowered, and before he knew it, sleep overcame him.

* * *

It was the shrill whistle that woke them up. Majestic's eyes shot open, her ears screaming in protest to the high-pitched noise. Once her memory came back, she gasped, jumped up, and shook the other two awake.

"Wake up!" she hissed. They were roused quickly, realized what was happening, and the three scampered down and to the landing. The train was starting to edge forward. Majestic took a flying leap, followed by Mistoffelees. Shimmer jumped only just in time, the train truly pulling away as she landed on the cement.

"Well," Shimmer said, standing up and dusting her paws together. "That's one way to wake a person up." She then laughed brightly. The nap seemed to have rejuvenated her, and she was back to her cheery self.

Majestic also seemed to be in a better mood. "Come on, now," she said, smiling. "Let's go find a way to get to Ireland!"

The three spent and hour weaving their way through Liverpool. It was a rather confusing city, and they had trouble navigating their way to the ferry port. The local cats were no help, each one gave directions that were different from the lasts'. Majestic, finally fed up with the confusion, found her way to a bus stop, where she studied a map they had posted on the side.

"We're on Great Howard Street," she said, padding back over them. "If we go north up to Derby Road, we can get to Brockleband Dock, hopefully before sunset. The Liverpool to Dublin ferry is there."

"How in the world did you figure out what street we were on?" Mistoffelees asked in astonishment.

Magic raised an eyebrow. "I looked at the street sign, Misto."

The tuxedo tom turned pink, then bent his head and muttered something that they couldn't hear.

Majestic and Shimmer exchanged looks, then giggled quietly. The three trekked down the long road, and got to the dock just after sundown. After a quick discussion, they decided to catch a fish to eat, then stay the night in a nice tree. As they were settling down for the night, Shimmer yawned, "Ventus says that it's going to make the water pretty choppy tomorrow."

"Can't you ask it for smooth sailing?" Majestic asked, stretching out on a thick branch.

"No," Shimmer sighed. "Ventus is one of the most uncontrollable ones. I let it run out its energy."

Mistoffelees shrugged, and Majestic gave a somewhat disappointed sigh. "If you say so," the queen murmured, eyelids drooping. "Wake me tomorrow morning." And with that, she fell asleep. Shimmer followed suit, and Mistoffelees, for the second time that day, was the last one awake and the last one to drift to dreamland.

* * *

"What?" Majestic shrieked.

"A seven hour ride," Shimmer repeated, blue eyes still on the sign that had all the ferry times. "And that's on a smooth day. With the water this choppy, the best we could hope for is seven and a half, I think."

The black and purple queen groaned. "I cannot believe Dad roped me into this," she muttered.

Mistoffelees chuckled to himself, before clearing his throat and saying, "Well, it's now or never. Let's get on there before the boat leaves."

Magic, still scowling, nodded, then led the way onto the ship, making sure they weren't seen.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, and Misto," Majestic started, settling down into a corner.

"Magic..." Mistoffelees said, glaring at her.

The queen blatantly ignored him. "We settle down for seven hours on a ship. Your entertainment will include the small magic tricks preformed by Mistoffelees and Majestic when bored, and watching Majestic herself get seasick. We hope you enjoy the show."

Shimmer laughed at her sister's sarcastic humor. Mistoffelees half-heartedly chuckled, still touchy at her earlier remark. "And for seven hours, I get to deal with this," he announced, gesturing to the black and violet queen, who, in return, bared her fangs at him.

"Oh, stuff it," she shot at him.

For a good bit, they went on like this. Both cats had sharp tongues, and could whip out one sarcastic comment after another. Shimmer, by the time they called a truce, was lying on the floor, clutching her stomach, with tears streaming down her face. The remarks had gotten downright ridiculous, and the more Shimmer laughed, the more the other two went at it.

"Oh, I'm tired now," she gasped, rubbing her stomach.

"Then go to sleep," Mistoffelees and Majestic said at the same time. They glanced at each other, and Majestic stuck out her tongue in a kitten-like manner.

A grin cracked over the gold princess's face once more. "You two have to be quiet," she said.

Magic and Misto exchanged looks, then put a paw over the other's mouth.

Shimmer laughed again. "I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd say you two were seeing each other..." The little feline trailed off as she turned over, not facing her sister and the tuxedo tom.

Majestic sent an alarmed look to Mistoffelees, who shrugged. They then lowered their paws.

Mistoffelees stretched his arms above his head, letting out a big yawn. "You know, I could do with a nap," he said. The tom stood up and started to make his way to a pile of canvas that was more inviting than the metal floor. On his way there, the tom tripped and sent himself, arms flailing, through the air. He ended up landing sprawled upon Majestic.

"Misto!" the queen squeaked. Her cheeks were burning, and being pinned underneath Mistoffelees wasn't what she would call comfortable.

"Sorry!" he said, jumping up. Doing this, however, the tom's abnormally long tail got caught around his ankles, which only made him fall atop the queen once more. "I'm sorry!" he yelped, carefully climbing back up. His white cheeks were now pink, and his ears were burning. Mistoffelees scurried over to the canvas and flung himself down on it. He didn't turn around to look at Majestic, nor did he make another noise the rest of the trip.

Majestic stayed in the same spot. Her heart was racing and her cheeks were burning. The one thing that bothered her, though, was that she couldn't figure out why...

* * *

**(A/N) **Urgh...I really do have an awesome inspiration for this story. I do. But I really hate how my writing is in this chapter. It's all...weird and...icky. I don't like it. But I can't get it right. Maybe the next chapter will be better. It's really these transitions and fillers that kill me. DX Oh, well. It's slightly shorter than I'd like for it to be. Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

_*Translations can be found at the end of the chapter, in the A/N._

* * *

Mistoffelees awoke to a gold paw snapping in front of his face. "Honestly," Shimmer's voice said, "The amount of sleep we're getting, you'd think we've been up without a nap for the last month."

The tux slowly pulled himself up, yawning. He blinked a couple times, letting the world come into focus. From the cracks in between the walls and the door, bright mid-afternoon sunlight was shining through. Majestic was sitting on the ground, looking ready to get off the ship. Her face was also rather green, and, by the smell coming out of the bucket in the corner, had already gotten sick.

"Boat's pulling in," she said, then clapped a paw over her mouth. It appeared to be all she risked saying.

"Which means we're almost there!" Shimmer said happily.

The tom nodded, then yawned again and stretched. He heard his back crack, and then relaxed his muscles. Mistoffelees got up to his feet, and, in doing that, felt the ferry moving under him. It was an unusual sensation.

"I'm so excited!" Shimmer said, bouncing up and down. They all lurched forward as the ferry came to a halt, and waited a while, making sure that there weren't any humans before they left the room they were in. "Where do you think Cuimhen might be?" she asked as they walked away from the pier.

"I honestly don't know, Shimmer," Mistoffelees said. Majestic still appeared to queasy to try and speak.

Shimmer stopped walking at this. "Hmm," she mused, flopping down on the grass beneath her. The older two cats stopped and sat with her. Magic seemed especially glad to be still.

"Maybe we should ask someone," the black and purple queen suggested.

"Good idea," Mistoffelees said, jumping up. He looked around, and then walked up to the first cat he saw. "Excuse me, miss," he said, tapping her shoulder.

The queen turned around and looked at him.

"Do you know where we could find Cuimhen?" he asked.

"_Tá brón orm__, ní féidir liom labhairt __Béarla_," the queen said, shaking her head.

Mistoffelees remained persistent. "Come on. Have you heard of a tom named Cuimhen?"

The queen seemed annoyed now. "_Sir__, ní féidir liom labhairt do theanga. Cuir saoire dom féin_. " She then turned and walked away.

Misto trudged back to the sisters. "Well," he said, flopping down next to them. "Either we find someone who speaks english, or we're never gonna find this guy."

Shimmer heaved herself up. "Well then," she said, dusting her paws on her legs. "Let's go find someone who speaks english."

* * *

They had been trudging around for a few hours when they came across what was obviously the door to a den.

"This is the last place before we call it a night," Majestic said firmly. She was tired and the aftermath of the ship still hadn't completely left her.

The other two nodded. Even Shimmer was tired of hearing cats say that they didn't speak their language in Irish. In fact, the gold queen-kit had picked up a couple words. Like 'speak' was 'labhairt'. Nonetheless, she raised her paw and rapped on the wooden door. Almost immediately, it was ripped open by a queen.

"_Cad ba mhaith leat? Níl Máistir Cuimhen anseo! Go away! Tá mé ag obair le déanamh, agus nach bhfuil mé ag iarraidh éisteacht le do pléadálacha do leighis nó cibé do anseo le haghaidh!_ " she yelled, obviously not in a good mood.

But Shimmer only caught one word of it. "Did you say Cuimhen?" she asked.

"_Sea__, Cuimhen! Níl sé anseo! Anois shoo!_ " the queen demanded, starting to shut the door on them.

"Wait! Please! We were sent here by the Jellicles! We need to talk to him!" Shimmer yelped.

The queen poked her head out the door. "Oh. _Béarla_ ," she said. Her eyes then narrowed. "What do you mean, you were sent here by the Jellicles?" she asked, in accented english.

Shimmer breathed a sigh of relief. "It's really a long story," she confessed.

"Well, come in," the queen said, opening the door for the three of them to enter. "I'm _aisteach_ , curious to hear."

* * *

Not too long after being allowed in, the story had been told. Each of the three english cats had parts to tell, describing Shimmer's power or when the wind had disturbed the medical den.

"Wow. That is quite _suimiúil . _Interesting." the queen said. She had been silent throughout the entire story, only nodding occasionally. She then stood up. "I am Meara. I work for Master Cuimhen, and in return, am granted the wisdom of his words." She was a pretty queen, rather tall. Her eyes were piercing blue, and had an analyzing look to them. She was brown on her back and sides, and the vast majority of her head fur was brown. Her stomach and the insides of her limbs were white. She had small black spots on top of the brown. Her face was white everywhere except over her eyes, where brown came from her head fur and over her eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Meara," Shimmer said politely.

"Yes. I'm afraid you will have to meet my rather obnoxious brother, Conan, soon. His head is _ró-mhór as a chuid dea féin._ Too big for his own good."

The three exchanged looks. "Oh, we have plenty of experience with that type," Mistoffelees said. "Have you ever heard the name Rum Tum Tugger?"

Meara gasped. "_The _Rum Tum Tugger?" She squealed. "Do you know him? He is _an tom teo ar siúl ar an phláinéid_!"

There was a snort from the doorway. "_Le do thoil! Táim ag lorg i bhfad níos fearr ná an furball_! "

"I guess Tugger is pretty famous," Shimmer muttered.

"Let me introduce you to my brother. Conan," Meara said, gesturing to the tom. He smirked at them and walked in. The pair must have been twins, for they looked exactly alike, save for Conan having deep amber eyes versus Meara's blue ones.

"Ah. We have Brits among us, I see," he said, resting his paws on the table they were sitting at. He gave them a jaunty smile.

"Yes, _leathcheann_. They are here on the business of the Jellicles, something which could affect us at one point. They know Master Cuimhen's kittens, Coricopat and Tantomile," Meara said.

"I'm not an idiot!" Conan hissed at his sister. Turning to the three others, he said, "So you have met the twins." It wasn't exactly a question, but it wasn't a statement, either.

"We're pretty good friends," Mistoffelees said, fiddling with his paws.

"Well," Conan said, pushing himself off the table. "I must say, their freakiness is nothing compared to the old cooke."

"Conan!" Meara exclaimed. "Do not talk about Master Cuimhen that way!" She slapped his arm, for good measure.

Conan moved away from his sister. "You're mean," he said, pointing at her. Meara stuck her tongue out at him. The brown tom sighed, glared at his sister, and then announced, "I am going to bed." He marched away, disappearing behind a dark purple curtain. Listening carefully, Majestic could tell that he was walking up a set of stairs.

Meara sighed. "He is right. The hour is late, and you all have traveled for a long time. I must say, it is a miracle you noticed the door. We are rather well hidden." She then dropped down to four paws. "Follow me. We have a place for visitors. Master Cuimhen normally has many, but there haven't been any in the recent time."

The three followed Meara behind another curtain, to stairs that led downwards.

"How is this place so big?" Shimmer asked in wonder, looking around as they walked down the torch-lit stairwell.

"It was built in medieval times," Meara said. "I think they were the king of France's cats or something, and when the French Revolution started, fled here with the maid that took care of them."

"Wow," Misto breathed.

"I know. It's quite fascinating. You will have to ask Cuimhen when he returns," Meara said. She had held the conversation without turning around.

"About that," Majestic said, almost calling from her place behind the other three. "Do you know when he is going to be back?"

Meara led them to a room that opened from the stairs. There were many wooden beds, all cat-sized, with a mattress and pillow and creme colored sheets on them. "This is the guest room," she said first. Then, addressing Magic's question, said, "I do not know when he is to return. It is not unusual for Master Cuimhen to leave for a few months and return."

"Well, when did he leave?" Mistoffelees asked.

"Last Tuesday," Meara said. She pointed to a chest at the end of the room. So far, everything was the perfect size for cats. "There are things to refresh yourselves in there." She then turned to go. When she was almost high enough on the stairs to be out of sight, she turned and said, "The oddest thing about Master Cuimhen is that he seemed to know where and when he is needed most. If you truly need him, he will be back in the shortest of two days. If you seek the wrong person, Master Cuimhen will not appear until he has fulfilled what he left to do. I bid you three a good night." And with that, the tri-colored queen turned and walked up the stairs.

The three friends exchanged looks before heading towards the beds. "He's pretty mysterious, this Cuimhen figure, isn't he?" Majestic said.

"Well, Tanto and Cori are pretty mysterious, too," Misto pointed out. Magic nodded her head towards him, acknowledging that he was right.

"I think it's fascinating," Shimmer said, heading over to the chest. "Hey! They have mint leaves in here!" The gold queen-kit took the small leaf, put it in her mouth, and chewed happily.

Majestic laughed, shaking her head at her sister. Mistoffelees smiled.

"What about Conan?" the tux asked, settling on a bed. "What do you think of him?"

"He reminds me of Tugger, without the flirting," Magic said.

"For now," Shimmer piped up from her spot by the chest.

Misto laughed before saying, "Tugger without flirting. Wouldn't that be a sight." Still chuckling, he lay down on the bed.

Shimmer skipped back up the two rows of beds and jumped on top of the one that was closest to the stairs. "Wee!" she called when she bounced back up. This caused the other two to laugh again.

"Calm down, Shimmer!" Magic said, lying down and curling up.

The gold she-cat rolled her eyes, then lay down herself with a yawn. "Okay. Goodnight, Magic. Goodnight, Misto."

"G'night, Shimmer," the two chorused. They then laughed at themselves.

Majestic rolled over to face Shimmer. "'Night, Misty-boy," she called.

"'Night, Magic," Mistoffelees called.

* * *

Shimmer waited until she heard soft snoring from Mistoffelees and deep breathing from Majestic. She then slipped out of her bed and snuck back up the stairs.

"Please don't creak, please don't creak," she whispered, closing her eyes as she slipped up the stairs. Shimmer managed to make it up without making noise. She then dashed outside. There was something she wanted to try before she went to sleep.

After searching and carefully thinking about how she would get back, Shimmer found a little park not to far from Cuimhen's den. She slipped in and sank to her knees in the grass.

"Ventus," she whispered, calling to the wind. "Come here!"

_Mistress! _the cool gusts whispered. _We finally meet you!_

Shimmer smiled. "It is nice to see you, too. What about Gramen?"

_We are here! _the grass called from beneath her.

"And Lympha?"

Immediately, there was a little stream snaking in front of the gold queen-kit. _Mistress! _it gurgled happily.

Shimmer was most nervous about calling the next element. "And Ignis?" she asked, holding out her paw.

Slightly slower than the other elements, a flame appeared in her paw. It seemed rather shy. _Hello, Mistress, _it said.

"Ignis," Shimmer smiled. Then she frowned. "Is there something that's bothering you?"

_It's just..._ the flame shifted back and forth. Shimmer could feel the other elements pressing in, obviously knowing what the fire was going to ask and dying to know the answer. _Did some of the other flames really get possessed?_

Shimmer bit her lip, then took a deep breath. "I believe so," she said, closing her eyes. The elements broke out into babble. "But!" she said, opening her eyes and holding a finger up. "I do not want you to talk about it. I am working to fix the problem, okay? Until then, you go about your normal lives. Now. It's late. Go and rest for the morning. Go on! Shoo!" The elements all quieted down, the flames extinguishing and the water snaking back to wherever it had originally come from.

Shimmer got up and walked back to Cuimhen's home. She had needed to reassure herself that she could still talk to nature, even away from her home town. "Goodnight, world," she whispered, before ducking back inside and sneaking down to go to sleep.

* * *

**(A/N)**: I wrote this all in one night. I call that an accomplishment. But here are the translations to all the Irish that didn't get explained.

_Tá brón orm, ní féidir liom labhairt Béarla = _I'm sorry, I don't speak english.

_Sir, ní féidir liom labhairt do theanga. Cuir saoire dom féin._ = Sir, I do not speak your language. Please leave me alone.

_Cad ba mhaith leat? Níl Máistir Cuimhen anseo! Go away! Tá mé ag obair le déanamh, agus nach bhfuil mé ag iarraidh éisteacht le do pléadálacha do leighis nó cibé do anseo le haghaidh!_ = What do you want? Master Cuimhen isn't here! Go away! I have work to do! I don't want to listen to your pleas for healing or whatever you want!

_Sea, Cuimhen! Níl sé anseo! Anois shoo!_ = Yes, Cuimhen! He isn't here! Now shoo!

_an Tom teo ar siúl ar an phláinéid!_ the hottest tom to walk the planet

_Le do thoil! __Táim ag lorg i bhfad níos fearr ná an furball!_ = Please! I am much better looking than the furball!


	7. Chapter 7

Unfortunately for British trio, Cuimhen didn't appear to think their quest for his memories was all that important. Two weeks had passed, and the old cat had yet to appear. Meara had kept them busy, though, teaching them the rhythm of she and her brother's life.

In the giant den, there was an actual kitchen, with a wood-powered stove and easy access to water. They were taught how to cook meals that were made of grains. In between meals, work consisted of a lot of mental work. Part was rather dull, filing away records of prophecies or tales or events. Another part was fascinating. Though they could not do it yet, for they hadn't enough experience, but just watching Meara and Conan do it was entertainment.

The two siblings would gather pen and paper, and then enter a memory that had been bottled up by Cuimhen or some other ancient cat. They would be gone for only a few minutes, but would often return from the memory with accounts of events that lasted for hours, sometimes a day or more.

Mistoffelees was especially intrigued by this, and, therefore, worked at training himself to go into the memories. It was quicker for him, being a magician, than most people, but still took a long time of mental training.

In the two weeks they had been there, Majestic, Misto, and Shimmer had slipped very solidly into the routine of Cuimhen's apprentices. Shimmer had taken it upon herself to learn the Irish language, and would follow either of the siblings around, trying to speak to them in Irish. She was a fast learner, but Conan had less patience for her than Meara. So the gold queen-kit would spend her free time talking to Meara as the older queen kneaded dough, or dusted the many shelves of books.

Majestic had found herself best at the cleaning. With only two felines in residence that worked from morning until night, the old den hadn't had much TLC in the past years. Magic took it upon herself to make it look nice again.

The year was now working itself into late summer. With this it brought Majestic's birthday. A few days before, the black and purple queen was in the kitchen, kneading dough with the other cat on kitchen duty at the time- Conan.

"So," the brown and white tom said conversationally. "I hear your birthday is tomorrow."

Majestic froze, her breath coming out in a short gasp. She started straight ahead.

If Conan noticed, he didn't say. "You're turning _ocht mbliana déga. _Eighteen, correct?"

The queen came out of her frozen state and looked up at Conan, who, despite Majestic being a queen of an average height, was a head taller than her. "Shimmer told you, didn't she?"

"Yes, indeed. Quite a remarkable queen, Shimmer is," Conan said, continuing to work his dough.

Majestic snorted in disgust, then went back to kneading her dough.

"My one thought is," Conan continued, "Why, as a queen your age with a mate, have you not had a kitten yet?"

"WHAT?" Majestic's dough went flying upwards, sicking itself to the ceiling. Conan sighed, then reached for a chair to get the dough back down. It was not the first time this had happened. "What...what, what do you mean?" Magic stammered.

"Well, you and Mistoffelees are most obviously mates. Do you not want a kitten?" the tom said, jumping down from the chair and carrying the dough over to the water pump and rinsing it off.

"But...but...Misto and I aren't mates!" Magic finally got out, snatching her ball of dough back from Conan.

This caught the tom's attention. "Really?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, really!" Majestic said. "He's just my best friend!"

"It sure doesn't seem that way," Conan said, a smirk working its way onto his features. This was something he found very entertaining.

"He is!" Magic's voice was becoming rather shrill, and her cheeks and the tips of her ears were burning bright red. "He's been my best friend since I came to the junkyard at, oh, how old was I, six or seven?"

"So over ten years," the tom mused, and in Majestic's opinion, in a rather annoying way.

"Yes," Majestic affirmed, tone exasperated.

"And you've never had a crush on Misto, not even a _ceann beag bídeach_?" he asked, holding two fingers a centimeter apart and looked through the small gap at the queen.

Majestic had picked up enough Irish to know that this meant "little tiny one". "No, I have not!" she said, slamming her dough on the table, her cheeks and ears burning hotter and brighter.

"I detect a lie," Conan sing-songed, his smirk widening.

"No, oh infuriating one!" Magic shrieked, her cheeks burning so bright you could see it through her fur.

"Whatever you say," the tom said, raising his eyebrows in a manner that said her didn't believe her.

"Oh! You-" Majestic raised a paw as if to slap the tom.

"Hi, guys!" Mistoffelees said brightly, walking in.

"Oh, hello, Mistoffelees," Conan said, a sly eye sliding to Magic. "We were just-" he yowled as the queen gave him a sharp kick. "Just...wondering if you could take my place on kitchen duty for today!"

"Oh. Uh...sure?" Misto agreed, semi-confused about what had just happened.

"Thanks," Conan said, walking away with a slight limp.

"What was that-" Misto started to ask, pointing over his shoulder.

"Don't even ask," Majestic said, closing her eyes.

* * *

Shimmer sat on the floor, watching Meara pouring over a piece of paper. "_An bhfuil tú figuring amach nuair a théannsé?_"

The queen looked up and smiled at Shimmer. "Almost, flower. But wrong pronunciation of _nuair. _You said when instead of where."

"Drat," Shimmer muttered.

Meara laughed, then picked up the piece of paper. "Yes, I was trying to figure out where it goes. It needs to be put in the third shelf in the D section."

"I'll do it!" Shimmer said happily, jumping up. Meara laughed again, then handed Shimmer the piece of paper. The gold queen-kit scurried off to the next room, where all the documents were kept.

"Great queen," Meara said to herself, before turning around to look at the shelves behind her. What surprised her was the image of an old, old tom standing in front of them. "_Máistir Cuimhen!" _she gasped. **(A/N: The following conversation takes place in Irish, but I'm writing it in English to spare you guys.)**

"_Yes, child. But I am not here, simply a projection_."

"_Oh, Master, you have missed so much! Three Jellicles-_" Meara started.

The old tom held up a paw. "_I know, child. I foresaw this. But I ask you to let me speak_."

Meara closed her mouth and looked at Cuimhen.

"_This young queen, Shimmer, you call her, is very special. I cannot return for a prolonged amount of time, due to my weakening body. I need you to protect her until I can make my way home_."

Meara bowed and nodded. "_I will, sir. With our lives, Conan and I will watch over her_."

Cuimhen smiled. "_I knew I could count on you, child. Now, I must leave you_." And with those words, the image of the old tom faded away.

"Meara! I can't reach up there! Where's the ladder?" Shimmer called.

"Behind the door, Shimmer," Meara yelled back.

"Thank you!"

Meara smiled, but it quickly left her face. It was a rare thing for Cuimhen to ask her to protect something, but when he did, it meant that whatever it was was incredibly important. Which meant something very heavy was resting on the shoulders of this young queen. She almost feared to think about it. "Oh, it can't be that bad," she told herself, shrugging her shoulders. She then rested her paws on the desk to her side.

Shimmer skipped back into the room. "What's next?" she asked, her aqua eyes shining with excitement.

Meara smiled. "Let's end early tonight, flower. We can eat dinner as a group tonight."

Shimmer looked pleasantly surprised. "Okay!" Then she grabbed the older queen's paw and pulled her out of the room, hurrying to the kitchen.

Just before they entered, though, Shimmer seemed to have a sudden thought and stopped short.

"What is it?" Meara asked, almost running into the queen.

The gold queen-kit turned to look up at Meara. "Majestic's birthday is tomorrow," she whispered. "We have to eat as a group again tomorrow. Please?" she begged.

Meara contemplated this for a moment. "Alright," she said. "We'll eat together again tomorrow night. And I will take the kitchen jobs and make a traditional Irish supper."

Shimmer gave her a dazzling smile, then scurried into the kitchen.

Meara gave a small smile, Cuimhen's earlier message weighing down in her mind. She wondered exactly who Shimmer was, and what was in store for her.

* * *

**A/N:** Um, yuck. I'm sorry, I'm not happy with this at all. And it's way too short. But I don't want to add the next part, because then it will be way too long in comparison with the other chapters. So please excuse this pathetic little transitional chapter. Jeez, I hate transitions.


End file.
